Tuesday, March 31, 2015

A horse neighs. Another whinnies. The air is ripe with the distinct smell of barn. In the distance, hooves clomp along the hay-strewn ground, accompanied by the rhythmic tapping of…computer keyboards? Yes, a typical day at Welcome Home Ranch is in full swing.

Situated on 55 acres in the shadow of Gilbert’s San Tan Mountain, Welcome Home Ranch is work, home and school for 25 young men who have faced drug and alcohol addiction.

The property is one of three addiction recovery facilities that make up the Canada-based John Volken Academy.

“The concept is a two-year program where boys overcome their addictions, receive career and educational training and gain the tools they need to be successful in life,” said Brad Barrett, Education Director for Welcome Home Ranch and former superintendent of the Gilbert School District.

“At Welcome Home Ranch, we board 150 horses, operate a feed store and sell produce,” Barrett said. “One of the biggest responsibilities the boys have is putting on weekly rodeos and other public equine events in the arena. It’s a business and every boy has a job to do to keep the business going.”

Jobs include cleaning out stalls, feeding and washing the horses, working in the feed store, cooking, cleaning and maintaining the two onsite houses where the residents live.

When they are settled in and adjusted to life on the ranch, the boys have the opportunity to enroll in classes to further their education. Enter Rio Salado College, a pioneer of online learning in Maricopa County, and one of the largest community colleges in the nation.

“You can enroll in classes at Rio Salado every Monday,” Barrett said. “That’s perfect for us because boys come in at different times during the year.”

Online classes also work well with the ranch’s structured approach to daily living. Each day has dedicated time for chores, group sessions, life skills training and education.

“I think the biggest benefit to online classes is the ability to progress at your own pace,” said ranch resident Ryan Male, 22. “You can finish a class in one week or 16. It’s completely up to you.”

Male works hand in hand with Barrett to run the education department and credits the ranch program for finally helping him turn the corner on his addiction.

“I had actually been to nine other programs prior to this one,” Male said. “I ended up using drugs while at each of them. I sat in circles and talked about how I was going to stay clean and sober. I used to come up with awesome plans, but they never translated beyond the walls of the program.”

What made this program work?

“The John Volken Academy is work-based therapy,” Male said. “It’s a real-life simulator. The two years of practice and peer accountability offered here is what sets this program apart from all the rest.”

When Male first came to Welcome Home Ranch, he expected to only stay for a couple months. Now 21 months later, he has emerged as a role model and mentor for the other students.

Each day he makes himself available for tutoring in the ranch classroom – a small nondescript room tucked away in one of the horse barns.

“It feels great to pass a class with an A, but it also feels great when one of the guys I'm working with does the same,” Male said. “The program has given me the opportunity to watch dozens of students find their direction in life, and allowed me to lend a helping hand. It’s very rewarding.”

Male has 40 college credits under his belt, maintains a 3.90 grade point average, and is a member of Rio Salado College’s Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.

“I don’t know if there is anything more satisfying than feeling like you’re on the right path,” Male said. “It’s funny to think that it’s all led through a horse barn!”

As if on cue, barn manager and ranch resident Alex Bingham, 23, pauses in the corridor outside the classroom while returning a horse called Felicia to her stall.

Felicia peers through an open window and gazes in at the students as if to say, “You know this is a barn, right?”

Bingham laughs.

“Horses keep you honest,” he said. “Animals can read people. That’s why I feel at home in the barn.”

For Bingham, Welcome Home Ranch has been an addiction recovery program and a pathway to the next chapter in his life. Clearly finding his true passion – horses -- Bingham has a farrier job lined up after he completes the program, and hopes to one day own an equine facility.

Male will graduate from the John Volken Academy in August, and will transfer to Arizona State University in the fall, with plans to pursue a degree in engineering.

“I’m pretty interested in biological and genetic engineering,” Male said. “I find it fascinating that the most complex and efficient material on the planet is biological and that it all stems from the genetic code of a single cell.”

Those comments show just how much of a transformation Male has undergone.

“I came to the ranch with half a commitment, zero direction, and a desire to live in my own drug-induced reality,” Male said. “Now I’m a man of commitment. I have direction and purpose in life, and a huge desire to live in everyone else's reality for once. This opportunity has been the spark that lit the engine that will fuel me for the rest of my life.”

This story can also be found in the March 21, 2015 edition of the Tempe Republic. ﻿﻿﻿﻿By Mira Radovich, Communications Coordinator at Rio Salado College.

Monday, March 30, 2015

Have you considered a teaching career but hesitated because you’re not in a position to give up a paycheck to go back to school? Rio Salado’s Teacher-In-Residence (TIR) intern program was designed with your needs in mind.

The program provides a convenient and cost-effective way for students and working professionals with a bachelor’s degree to transition into a K-12 teaching career. Through paid employment opportunities in the classroom, students can earn an income while completing the certification coursework. The program can be completed in two years.

TIR candidates are paired with a partnering Arizona school district, to work full-time and receive the same salary and benefits of fully-certified classroom teachers. The average beginning salary for teachers is nearly $32,000.

The opportunities for post-program employment are also in favor of Rio Salado TIR program completers. Arizona school districts actively seek Rio Salado TIR candidates specifically because the program requires two years of classroom training, provides intensive mentoring and meets their instruction quality standards.

Rio Salado’s TIR programs are approved by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE).

“The need for teachers in Arizona is greater than ever,” said Director of Community Partnerships and Programs Kim Tobey. “Our state has had an ongoing shortage of science, math, special education and kindergarten teachers—especially in rural communities.”

The need has been so great that 938 teaching positions were filled by substitute teachers during the 2013-14 school year, according to the Arizona Department of Education.“Although substitute teachers meet an immediate need, TIR candidates benefit from full-time employment, while receiving consistent and strong instruction that may not always be afforded to substitute teachers,” said Tobey.

There’s a greater shortage looming. Approximately 23%, or 26,000 educators, will be eligible for retirement by June 2018.

A 2015 report by the ADE’s Educator Retention and Recruitment Task Force cites that, “Arizona will not be able to ensure economic prosperity for its citizens and create the workforce of tomorrow,” if it cannot fill these vacancies.

“We also have a 6.6 percent unemployment rate, about one percent above the national average,” said Tobey. “With this program, we can help shrink that gap by putting people to work right away.”

If you have a passion for teaching and want to learn more about Rio Salado’s TIR program, visit this Teacher Education web page or call 480-517-8140 to speak to a program Outreach Specialist.

Critical thinking is an essential skill necessary to student success. However, critical thinking is an ability that is learned and continuously refined as you acquire new information.

It is important to learn how to develop your critical thinking skills to be able to problem-solve, develop original ideas, question assumptions, and evaluate decisions, among other critical competencies.

Critical thinking involves the process of how you think versus what you think about. Additionally, critical thinking fosters personal and intellectual growth by helping us identify the weaknesses in our own thinking and encourages the acceptance of innovative thoughts and, even opposing beliefs to our own, if supported with credible evidence.

This YouTube video illustrates how to develop critical thinking skills and why they are important.

Contributed by Rio Salado Counselor Elena Matus McDonald on behalf of Rio Salado's Counseling Services, helping students with their
personal, educational and career goals.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

History Magazine features stories of exploration, invention, innovation and conflict. It also examines the development of government, medicine, technology, trade, the arts, and the art of war.

If you consider history to be a dull and dry topic, give History Magazine a chance. The stories reveal little known facts about historical figures and events that shine a light on our shared humanity and connect us in a meaningful way to the past.

College students often mention that it is difficult to retain the academic content taught in their courses due to the significant amount of information assigned by their instructors. Frequently, students reference their ineffective memorization skills as one of their weaknesses and challenges during studying and exams.

One technique offered by Pepperdine University called GULP, offers a structured way to assist students with improving their memorization abilities.

G stands for “Get It” and involves applying active listening, awareness, and attention to the present.

L applies to “Link It” and refers to connecting the information with something currently familiar to you at the present time such as a person, place, or thing.

P pertains to “Picture It” and requires you to visualize the concept coming alive and incorporate the five senses, touch, smell, hear, sight, and taste.

The GULP technique allows you to begin to personalize the information you are learning and create an engaging learning environment with material that may seem uninteresting at first.

Students often quote a link to dull or unexciting coursework with the inability to focus and retain the information they are required to learn. GULP introduces a fun strategy for college students to try to enhance their memorization abilities.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Rio Salado’s Teacher-In-Residence intern program provides a convenient and cost-effective way for students and working professionals with a bachelor’s degree to transition into and launch a teaching career—with paid employment opportunities in the classroom— so students can apply what they learn and earn an income while they complete their certification coursework.

After weeks of reviewing entries, tallying votes and deliberation, Rio Salado College has decided on a new mascot concept.

“We are the Rio Waves,” announced Rio Salado President Chris Bustamante at today’s college wide meeting for staff at the Tempe headquarters.

While the actual Rio Wave mascot and name are still in development, the inspiration is clear.

“The Rio Waves will help us tell our story by representing the water of the Salt River and how the college cuts through barriers and navigates around obstacles in order to find innovative ways to serve non-traditional students,” said Bustamante.

The process has drawn quite a bit of community engagement.

The college invited the public to submit mascot concepts last January, which motivated 134 people to submit more than 200 ideas, including things like the Salty Dogs, Sun Storks, Rio Salt Shakers, Rip Tides and Beach Buoys.

After sorting through the most popular entries, the college Mascot Committee chose seven finalists: Beaver, Mouse, Raven, River Rat, Roadrunner, Surfer and Wave/Splash.

The college called on the public to choose the final three. More than 1,300 people responded and narrowed the search to: Raven, Roadrunner and Wave/Splash.

The college Mascot Committee and Executive Team decided the Rio Waves was the clear choice.

Bustamante receives top secret briefcase with final decision.

The committee was comprised of faculty, staff and students. Their primary objective: to find a mascot that relates to Rio Salado’s unique mission, flexible learning format, innovative practices and college culture.

Artists from the college’s Institutional Advancement creative services unit are already drafting design concepts for a Rio Wave mascot. Once complete, the college will call on the public once again to help name the mascot.

One thing is likely certain, the mascot will be responsible for leading event attendees in the wave!

Monday, March 23, 2015

Each year, we feature some of our best and brightest graduates in commencement ceremonies, social media channels, videos, publications, advertisements and news stories we share with local media. Why? Because they’re engaging, informative and inspirational.

We invite Rio Salado 2015 grads to share their stories.

Interested? Then submit a photo, a 250-500 word narrative that highlights your life and educational journey-- and how people can benefit from hearing your story. We would also like for you to include your favorite quote.

We will review entries and call on the top 10 students who have shared the most compelling stories to take part in a photo shoot and interview on Friday, April 10. Students will be scheduled sometime between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

You can submit your entries via email to riosaladonews@gmail.com. Please include Rio Salado 2015 Grad Story in headline.

Who better to talk about the student experience than you?

Your stories provide invaluable advice, guidance and inspiration for other students-- and our staff here at Rio Salado, who can apply what they learn from you to help other students succeed.

The College-Level Examination Program® (CLEP) helps you receive college credits for what you already know through exams that assess subject matter proficiency-- for a fraction of the cost of a college course.

Financial Literacy WorkshopWednesday, April 8, 5:30 p.m. Presented by Five Rings Financial to help you set financial goals, manage credit and debt, protect yourself against identify theft and find ways to save and invest while managing risk. Group and individual Q&A sessions will follow presentation. Complementary literature and workbooks provided free of charge.

Employable Skills & Readiness WorkshopThursday, April 16, 4 p.m. Presented by the Maricopa Workforce Connection to provide strategies on how to improve your resume, enhance your interviewing and networking skills and capitalize on your military experience as part of the civilian workforce.VA OEF/OIF/OND Veteran Informational PresentationWednesday, April 22, 5 p.m. Presented by VA patient advocates, who will provide information about VA benefits, vocational rehabilitation, filing disability claims, medical care and more. They will also help you register with the VA Medical Center and set appointments with counselors. Complementary literature provided free of charge

The Veterans Upward Bound Project (VUB) at Arizona State University (ASU) is a federally funded educational program designed to motivate and assist veterans as they pursue higher education.

Among the benefits available through this program are free, in-person classes to help strengthen academic skills-- with one-on-one instruction and tutoring-- and help with college planning, financial literacy, career guidance and more.Take advantage of free in-person classes that will help you with the fundamentals of English, computers and mathematics at the East Valley Veterans Education Center in Tempe, 2-4 p.m.

The Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) is an EEO/AA institution and an equal opportunity employer of protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or national origin. A lack of English language skills will not be a barrier to admission and participation in the career and technical education programs of the District.

The Maricopa County Community College District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs or activities. For Title IX/504 concerns, call the following number to reach the appointed coordinator: (480) 731-8499. For additional information, as well as a listing of all coordinators within the Maricopa College system, visit http://www.maricopa.edu/non-discrimination.